Submarine permanent way.



No. 694,436. Patented Mar. 4, |902.l

K. LEPs.

SUBMARINE PERMANENT WAY.

(Application Bled Aug. 80, 1901.)

No. 694,486. Patentedlar.. 4, i902.

K. LEPs. v -SUBMABINE PERMANENT WAY.

(Application led Aug. 30, 1901.)

- 3 Shets-Shet 2.

(No Model.)

yum/mz Jim@ M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KARL LEPS, OF HAMBURG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO JOHANNES VON DONAT,

OF LEIPSIO, GERMANY. y

SUBNIARINE PERMANENT WAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,486, dated March 4,1902.

' Application filed August 30, 1901. Serial No. '73,81%2, (No model Toa/ZZ wtmn t may concern.'

Be it known that I, KARL LEPS, a subject of 'the Emperor of Germany,residing at 53 I-Iornerlanstrasse, Hamburg, Germany, have inventedcertain new and useful ImprovementsV in Submarine Permanent Ways; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will en able others'skilled in theart to which it appertains to makeand use the same.

This inventionl relates to submarine permanent ways, and has for itsobject to provide means for connecting stations separated by channels,canals and the like, so that passengers or goods can be transportedacross without making use of bridges, and the proposed connection insuch that obstruction o'r endangering of the traffic by storms or fogsis prevented.

According to this invention two stations separated by water areconnected by establishing a permanent submarine Vline consisting of wireropes, chains, or the like, the said line being intended to serve as aguide to submarine boats fitted in asu'itable manner and to conduct themsafely from one station to the other.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of a station atone end of the line. Fig. 2 is a similar view of part of the line. Figs.3 and 4c are front -views of the boat. Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are end sideelevation, side elevation, and plan, respectively, showing the anchorageof theline on the bottom of the Water-bed. Fig. Sis a horizontal sectionof a submarine boat.

According to the size and construction of the submarine boats employedfor the conveyance ofrpersons and cargo, two opposite stations areconnected by a line s, anchored at the bottom of the water-bed andformed by one or more wire ropes, chains, or the like. As it would bepreferable to use two ropes, the line, as shown, consists of two ropes.The ends of the ropes are xed above water within the stations, (see Fig.1,) while they are held in position under water at a suitable distancefrom the ground by means of suitable guiding-frames b. (See Figs. 5 7.)

The submarine boats are provided with running and guiding rollers,respectively, corresponding to the line-that is to say, the rollers rare so arranged as to roll along the line s, and thereby guide the boatin the required direction; but it is advisable to fit the said rollersr, as indicated in Fig. 8, with a suitable driving-gear, so that thefriction may be easier overcome and, moreover, that they may at the sametime be used rfor assisting in the forward movement of the boat.

For the purpose of propelling the boats the well-known shipsy screws areemployed.

In addition to the guiding-rollers arranged on both sides of the boat(see Figs. 4157) or at the bottom thereof (see Fig. 4:) there are at- 65tached to the boat runners a, which are actuated by the drivingmachinery of the boat and are made use of whenever the latter runs intothe harbor, for they gradually ascend on the incline d, leading to thebottom of the 7o bed, thus conveying the boat to the shore, where shecomesrto rest on a turning platform g, the latter serving to reverse thesame for the return journey. (See Fig. l.)

In the case of loading the boats care should 7 5 be taken to see thatthey possess the degree of buoyancy required to press the runningrollers?a upward against the line s. (See Fig. 2.)

When the ropes are arranged so as to be suspended between twoguiding-frames, with 8o the vresult that the boat running along the lineis bound to describe wave-like curves, it is necessary to lit the boatwith a horizontal steering mechanism h., by means of which she may besteered up and down, respectively.

Of course all boats have to be so arranged as to be suitable fortraveling on the surfacethat is to say, there should be the usualvertical steering mechanism-and the boat should, moreover, have therequired ballast, `which 9o may be removed from the boat in cases'ofdefects of the line, thereby enabling the said boat to ascend to thesurface of the water.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Submarine permanent way, for conductinga submarine boat from onestation to another, consisting of wire ropes, chains or the like withwhich running rollers on the boat are adapted to engage, guide frames orsuproo ports by which the ropes or the like are kept at a suitabledistance from the bottom of the bed and stations or platforms to whichthe ends of the rope are fastened above Water, in such a manner, thatthe boats are only guided along the line during their journey underWater.

2. Submarine permanent Way, for conducting a submarine boat from onestation to another, consisting of Wire ropes, chains or the like withwhich running rollers on the boat are adapted to engage, guide frames orsupports by which Ithe ropes or the like are kept at a suitable distancefrom the bottom of the bed and stations or platforms to which the endsof the rope are fastened abovewater, and a permanent 'incline forconducting the boats into the station, arranged leading to the bottom ofthe bed and on which runners attached to the bottom of the boat aretraveling, thereby conducting the said boats to the turning platforms.

3. Submarine permanent way, for conducting a submarine boat from onestation to another, consistng of Wire ropes, chains or the like withwhich running rollers on the boat

